The MONTHLY Motivator - April 2004

Taking action

In order to make something happen, you must take action. It’s all well and good to know what must be done, or what you want to accomplish. It’s great to have the best of intentions and to maintain a positive, can-do attitude. At some point, however, action is required.

No matter how magnificent your goals are, or how great are the resources you have at your command, or how much desire you have to accomplish something, to make it happen you must take action. More often than not, you must persuade others to take action as well.

You know that you’re capable of great achievements, if only you will put forth the effort to make them happen. You’ve experienced in the past what can happen when you bring yourself to take action, and the value that action can bring.

Even so, it can be a sticking point -- translating desire into action. You have to overcome the inertia of standing still, of doing nothing, of being content to remain in your comfort zone. That can often be a challenge. Yet it can be done, and you can do it. In fact, there are many different ways to motivate yourself into action. If one approach doesn’t work for you, there are plenty of others that will.

So let’s take a look at some practical approaches to motivation, each one designed to provide insight as well as technique. Though of course they won’t all be applicable to every person in every situation, these methods are designed to provide success-oriented people with an arsenal of effective ideas and techniques for producing action.

Focus on what the action will bring you

Motivate yourself or others to action by focusing on the eventual positive outcome of that action. There’s a reason for what you’re doing. Keep that reason firmly in mind. Mentally picture your goal vividly, in great detail, and in a form that is meaningful to you. If your goal is to earn a certain amount of money, think beyond the money to precisely what that money will allow you to purchase.

Visualize yourself taking all the actions, one after another, that will bring your goal into reality. Realize that the first in that chain of actions can be undertaken right now. Consider that you’re already connected

---

To continue reading this member-only content, please log in if you are a current subscriber/member, or if you’re not already a member, you can join today for an annual price of just $15 and get immediate access to the full text of this article and many others, plus additional member-only content such as downloadable audio programs and e-books. If you’re not ready to join right now, we invite you to look through our extensive archive of more than 6,000 shorter daily messages, which are fully available for everyone to read.

--Ralph Marston

More Monthly Motivators...